Leak ????? Created 20 years ago2003-12-28 11:28:56 UTC by $olid.$nipah !

hey guys,
im a newbe in mapping
i have a problem with a map that i am making, everytime i compile the map for trying it out it gives me the FREACKING leak error (well not really an error i can play it but my lightin isnt there : ) and i dont know where to find the leak, it sayz that the leak is in hull 1 ??? i dont know where i have to look on the map :s so i looked arround on this site and couldnt really find my answer so i'm aking it here. srry iuf this question already has been asked but i couldnt find the answer.

thx anyway

welcome to the world of mappin mate. Leaks are the curse of hammer, the single most annoying thing in existance (except for linkin park).
Im sure theres hundreds of tutorials on leaks out there so hit google and find a gud one. Basicly a leak is a whole in ur level. For me i found the pointfile method to be the best for tracking down leaks but there are other ways.

Since we here at TWHL have screamed out for a forum search function for a long time... We finally got it. Try searching the mapping forum for "Leak" I'm sure you find lot's of topics about it.

Welcome to the world of HL mapping!

knarph

thx but still havent found the answer
i did as you said but didnt find no answer about how to find this hull 1 leak ...
thx anyway

Compile and run your map then bring down the console using the ~ key.
Type pointfile and you should see a series of white dots running thru your level. They will travel in all kinds of crazy directions, just follow them til they run thru the wall, that's where your leak is. Then go back to hammer, zoom in to grid setting 1, you should be able to see the leak.

If the dots don't show up, add -particles 999999 to your command line. By that I mean, when you hit the compile button (F9) you will get window for compiling, look at the top and you will see the commands such as hl.exe -deathmatch 1 and so on. Add the particle statement to the end of that. Then run, type pointfile again.

Hope it helps. Key is to make sure you don't have subpixel vertices in your map, which can happen.

couldnt of put it better myself

Do you use zoners hl compiling tools?

Coz if you are, then you shouldnt be...

You should be using MZHLT !!!

a download link is on the VERC

THX ALL !!! isnt that the same as zhlt yeah i use zhlt but for what stands teh M :
thx all again nice explained bllwnkl

At least you started with ZHLT. Well done. And leaks were my first ever problem too. Get hammer 3.5 beta (after getting 3.4) and use the pointfile in the 3d view.

hey i did whay you say bllwnkl but i get an error, this one :
"HUNC_ALOC : FAILED ON 56000024 BYTES"

pfff leak is the worst desise for hammer
is it normal that my lighting such as red room or a blue light wont work ???
i made my map in a cube hollowed it enso on what i do now ?

Well my pointfile has never worked so I've used the box method.

ok got the points
BUT NOW THERE IS THIS PROBLEM i see the dots green with white in a line they go from one point to a second one but its under the map so i took a look at it jumped off but they start somewhere . i can c where but not in hammer so how can i find it in hammer cause its on the blok where my sky textures are shown at.
thx
srry for the spam

and this is my last spam i hope
ok now i found the pointfile in hammer and loaded it, i c where it is its on the skytexture cube i made but what i did i set some walls against it and made them solid and loaded the pointfile again but it DIDNT GET AWAY what do i do to get those leaks away ?? it wont even go away with walls as thick as my mom

If your map is small, and only small, but a BIIIG hollow cube outside of your map, surrounding it. Texture it with the SKY texture and you'll be fine. I'm lazy and didn't read many of the previous posts here, so if someone already said it, sry.

P.S. Da Brat will rize again, when I get back from vacation.

euh ... i allready did that ... that cube thingy... and i got another leak SO I PUTTED ANOTHER CUBE AROUND IT and the leak was gone but IT WAS TO FREAKING LAGGY so i did them all away and tryed again another cube around my map and i got again A FREAKING LEAK !! but this one was different but the same it goes out the box and back into my world and why does my lights dont work ??? red and blue and i dont gat it dark in the map :'(

Once you compile and you get the leak, it saves a point file on your hdrive. In Hammer go to Map/load pointfile then browse to the file and open it. It will show you the dots in the 3D window of hammer. Make sure you check out the compile window before you close it, it should tell you pointfile generated.

Geez man perhaps u should start ur map again....

I have found that a lagging map is also an indicator of a leak. Once fixed it should run fine. Unless of course your map is too huge. Post it in the map vault so people can see the problems.

In Summary of all the above:
Hammer uses a pointfile generated when the map is compiled. You can view that point file in Hammer, but it is normally a mass of red lines.

The point file can also be viewed in game, by using the command pointfile. That should give you a dotted line that goes crazy around your map. But it should also go through a brush in your map, and that is where the LEAK could be.
But this actually sounds like an entity outside the map?
The LEAK error from your compile log will tell you the start point of the point file. And it should also give you an Entity and coordinates.
Have a look at that Entity in Hammer and make sure it is within your map.

ShoeBox:
A map is what is inside the ShoeBox.
Everything outside is called the Void.
Entities must not be placed in the Void.
The outside of your shoebox must be sealed.
You should not be able to see out of the shoebox from anywhere inside the shoebox........... And your shoebox must be located within the gridlines in the Hammer 2D views.

Simple innit?

thx but how do i kill those up leaks ?

A leak is simply a hole in your map. The black space around your level in infinite in size. When you have a leak the "air" in your level is escaping into the void of space. Somewhere in your map you have a small crack, maybe only 1 pixel in width. You need to find it. If your second cube made the leak go away then start your search there. Systematically make your cube smaller, in one direction only until the leak reappears. If you shrink the box and the leak reappears, undo, and shrink in another direction until you narrow it down. Kind of like chasing an animal into a corner, he goes one way so you get in front of him to make him go the other way until you get him trapped.

thx all

Geez man perhaps u should start ur map again.... Posted on 29 Dec 03 02:27
by Anthony

i did ....

i knew i heard the name before but the av made it all come back. ur that guy from ddhlp, dizzys page. another way 2 get leaks is 2 use the leakmarker. set it up right and itll put a big red box around the leak. although sumtimes it just puts a brush smack bang in te middle of the sky...also try the cordon tool.

Since everyone likes saying the same thing a different way 5 or 6 times, I thought I would add that there is a little button at the top of the tool bar in Hammer 3.4 that says "Help".
Clicking on this can bring wonderful results.

Yeah, one of the few things actually covered in the help file